Tag: RPGs

“The Traveler is not our only salvation. Another future lies out among the light of other stars.”

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Bungie created one of Destiny 1’s major flaws when they decided to put crucial information about the game’s setting, lore, and backstory behind unlockable cards that were inaccessible in-game. These “Grimoire” cards contained information for nearly everything in Destiny, from the history of certain weapons to the lore significance of Crucible maps, the game’s PvP mode.

Likewise, the majority of information on Destiny’s three player factions–Dead Orbit, the Future War Cult, and New Monarchy–were locked away behind Grimoire cards on an external website rather than given to the player in-game. Players were given a short summary of each faction’s goals, but without the proper context of how each faction’s goal is influenced by elements of Destiny’s setting, it was hard for people interested in Destiny’s story to fully understand what each faction stood for.

With the start of Destiny 2’s Faction Rally, players are once again given the opportunity to pledge their allegiance to one of the player factions. However, just what are these factions, and why are they competing for influence among the Guardians of the Last City?

The leaders of Dead Orbit, the Future War Cult, and New Monarchy, together with the Speaker and the Vanguard, form the governing body of the Last City called the Consensus. In the early days of the Last City, factions warred with each other in order to seize power in a period known as the Faction Wars. Realizing that humanity could not afford to fight among itself while simultaneously hunted by forces of the Darkness, the fighting ceased and the Consensus was formed. Each faction participates in the Consensus in order to further their own agendas. Dead Orbit believes that humanity will ultimately fail to hold the Last City against the Traveler’s ancient enemy, the Darkness, and has build up a large fleet that they want to use to relocate humanity to another solar system. The Future War Cult has a device that allows the user to gaze into numerous possible futures, and in every timeline they see inescapable conflict against the Darkness, whether they flee the solar system or not. As a result, Future War Cult believes that humanity must always be wholly prepared to fight for its survival. New Monarchy aims to abolish the Consensus, and instill a totalitarian ruler in its place.

The Faction Rally is how these factions attempt to recruit new Guardians to their cause while simultaneously increasing their influence on the politics of the Last City. However, competition between the factions has not always been peaceful, even following the creation of the Consensus. For example, a faction called the Concordat was once part of the Consensus. Its leader, Lysander, led a coup against the Consensus in an attempt to seize power in the Last City. Ultimately, the coup failed when New Monarchy defeated the Concordat at a location that came to be known as Bannerfall–a Crucible map from Destiny 1. Here is what the Grimoire has to say about Lysander’s final stand:

Lysander and the Concordat mark the most recent example of City political factions rising in opposition to the Consensus. This site marks a legendary battle where New Monarchy’s Guardians rose to deliver the final blow to the Concordat, unraveling the war effort Lysander sought to bring against the Vanguard.

Lord Shaxx has commandeered the area not only to commemorate this last stand, but as a reminder of the City’s solidarity against those who seek to undermine the extreme efforts and sacrifice we make together to keep our peace.

Unfortunately, the Concordat’s central tenants remain unknown to Destiny’s players, as well as why Lysander staged his coup. Concordat banners found in Bannerfall as well as a handful of exotic gear gives us the only in-game evidence of their existence. The Concordat’s fall left an empty seat on the Consensus, and with an unanimous vote, the Future War Cult was chosen to take their place. However, according to the Vanguard spy network called the Hidden, Lysander lives, and schemes to return to the City with his followers. The Grimoire gives us a transcript of the Consensus’s vote:

“And so it is agreed. The Concordat shall no longer be recognized among the Consensus. We’ll begin the dismantling right away. But what of those Guardians who have pledged to them? We can’t afford any more banishments.”

“I’m sure Zavala can see to their realignment.”

“We’ll do our best. Lysander chose his followers wisely. It may take some time.”

“Lysander will not back down. He’ll continue his crusade from wherever we stuff him.”

“And so we’ll need to find some new ideas to replace his.”

“The Symmetry has been gaining a strong following…”

“Ulan-Tan’s teachings are too dangerous. Too much fear. Who knew he’d be more trouble dead than alive?”

“We’ll need to refocus our collective minds on combat. The Speaker’s anxious to regain ground we lost after the Gap.”

“There is the War Cult.”

“Too secretive. Have you ever tried to talk to one of their ‘soldiers’? Like a child. Answering questions with questions.”

“They are dedicated to the war.”

“Which one?”

“Good question.”

“Zavala?”

“They seem focused. Strong. More interesting than worrisome.”

“Let’s take it to a vote. All in favor of the ascension of the Future War Cult?”

“Unanimous? Good. We’ll grant the Future War Cult access to the Tower and a seat among us. Ghost, please offer the Speaker this proposal.”

“Now onto the next order of business…Shaxx is here with another proposal for his Crucible.”

The fall of the Concordat and the ascension of the Future War Cult resulted in the current political climate of the Last City. For now, the City’s factions seem content to pursue their agendas through peaceful methods, such as participation in the Consensus and the expansion of their numbers and influence through the Faction Rally. Recent events such as the Red Legion’s attack on the Last City and the awakening of the Traveler may shift faction politics in new directions.

In Final Fantasy XIV Online, primals are flashy, single-boss raid encounters that usually represent iconic summons or monsters from the series. Previous primal bosses include Ifrit, Shiva, and Final Fantasy VI’sWarringTriad. In Final Fantasy XIV’s newest expansion, Stormblood, the first primal that players must face is Susano, the “Lord of the Revel.” Keeping in line with the expansion’s East Asian theme, the inspiration for Susano the primal is taken from a Shinto deity of the same name.

Susano slays Yamata no Orochi. Kuniteru, 19th century.

According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the oldest written works of classical Japanese history dating from 711 AD and 720 AD, respectively, Susano is the god of storms and the sea, and brother to the sun goddess Amaterasu and the moon god Tsukuyomi. The god Izanagi gave birth to Susano and his siblings as he cleansed his face of impurities following a visit to Yomi, the Shinto world of the dead. Susano washed out of Izanagi’s nose, while Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were born from Izanagi’s left and right eyes, respectively. According to some legends, Susano is also seen as a chaotic god who disrupts the order of heaven.

In Final Fantasy XIV, Susano is presented as a large, vaguely humanoid armored figure with a jolly personality, who carries the moniker “Lord of the Revel.” He is the guardian deity of the Kojin beast tribe in the Ruby Sea, whom the Warrior of Light inadvertently helps to summon when he or she brings a magatama to the Red Kojin’s treasure cove, where it reacts with a sword and mirror to summon Susano.

From left to right: the mirror, the sword, and the magatama.

The fact that Susano is summoned with a sword, mirror, and magatama is an important detail to note, because those objects are also the Imperial Regalia of Japan, which are symbols of the legitimacy of the Imperial family. The magatama, known as “Yasakani no Magatama,” holds no direct tie to Susano in Japanese mythology beyond its affiliation with the other Imperial regalia. The mirror, or “Yata no Kagami,” however, is said to have been used to lure Amaterasu out of a cave where she hid in grief after Susano destroyed her property and killed her attendant, which resulted in Susano’s banishment from heaven. Upon reaching the province of Izumo, located in modern day Shimane Prefecture, Susano defeated an eight headed serpent named Yamata no Orochi by tricking it into drinking eight vats of sake and killing it in its sleep. From Yamata no Orochi’s tail, Susano took the sword “Kusanagi no Tsurugi,” the third piece of the Imperial Regalia, which he bequeathed to Amaterasu in reconciliation.

Susano, the Lord of the Revel

As a nod to Susano’s place in Shinto mythology as the god of storms and the sea, the arena in which Susano is fought in Final Fantasy XIV is a flooded area continuously drenched in rain. Several of Susano’s attacks are related to water or electricity. For example, Susano will create an area-of-effect attack visually represented by parting waves while declaring that “the seas part for me alone!” Susano will also spawn thunderclouds around the outside of the arena, which will strike the party with lightning if players do not position correctly. Susano’s ultimate attack is called “Ama-no-Murakumo,” an earlier name given to the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which roughly translates as “Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven.” Susano’s portrayal in Final Fantasy XIV seems to have taken inspiration from the myths that portray him as a chaotic force disrupting the heavenly order, as he seems to relish his battle with the Warrior of Light, even exclaiming that their hearts “sing in the chaos” of battle.

Nihon Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes series established itself in Japan in the late 1980s with Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes, which initially released on the NEC PC 8801. However, although the series saw numerous Western releases including localizations of the PSP remakes of The Legend of Heroes III, IV, and V, the games did not gain a sizeable Western fan base. The series wouldn’t catch on in English speaking communities until XSEED localized the sixth game in the series, Trails in the Sky, for the PSP in 2011. Following a subsequent PC release of the English localization of Trails in the Sky, the game quickly became a cult classic among JRPG fans due to its heavy emphasis on its characters and world building. Four years after Trails in the Sky’s original English release, XSEED released Second Chapter, the sequel to Trails in the Sky that picks up right after the game’s cliffhanger ending.

Two months after the English release of Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter, XSEED released Trails of Cold Steel for the Playstation 3 and Vita. While Cold Steel isn’t a direct sequel to Trails in the Sky, it takes place 2 years after the events of Second Chapter, and moved the setting from the Liberl Kingdom to the neighboring Erebonian Empire. Players had encountered Erebonian nationals in Trails in the Sky, and a war between Liberl and Erebonia made up an important chunk of the game’s backstory. Trails in the Sky offered players a glimpse into the political conflicts brewing in Erebonia, however, much of the country itself remained an enigma. Trails of Cold Steel gave fans the opportunity to explore a fleshed out Erebonia with the same attention to detail that drew people to Trails in the Sky.

Trails of Cold Steel traded Trails in the Sky’s traditional trappings for a high school setting.

Players could be forgiven for thinking that they were in for a drastically different experience with Cold Steel than they had been with the Sky games. While Trails in the Sky opened with the quiet life of the main character Estelle, her father, and her adopted brother Joshua, Trails of Cold Steel begins with an en medias reis sequence that immediately thrusts players into combat with a full party. While the early hours of Trails in the Sky were framed by the low-key adventures of Estelle and Joshua as they worked to become Bracers—questing mercenaries in the Trails universe—Trails of Cold Steel was set in a high school with events seemingly pulled straight out of Persona. At face value, Cold Steel had thrown away many of the traditional JRPG trappings that had made Sky a cult favorite in favor of more contemporary mechanics.

Once Trails of Cold Steel fell into its rhythm, however, its Persona-inspired façade faded away to reveal a game that wasn’t too far removed from its predecessors. The basic structure of Cold Steel is the same as the Sky games: each chapter has a central hub with a main quest to follow, along with several side quests that the player can complete at his or her leisure. At the end of each chapter, the player is ranked by the amount of quests they completed, and given a final grade for the “assignment” if playing Cold Steel, or given a higher Bracer rank if playing the Sky games. While the beginning hours of Trails of Cold Steel gave the impression that school life would play heavily into the structure of the game, in practice it had no strong effect on gameplay. Rather, the school served the narrative function of providing a reason to bring together characters from diverse economic and social backgrounds, and the conflicts that arose between the party characters as a result were indicative of the larger socio-political issues at play in Erebonia. In-between major story hubs, the player can spend time with party members and important NPCs to learn more about them, however, the majority of backstory and character growth for most characters is found in the main story.

Combat, too, is similar to Trails in the Sky. Coming into contact with an enemy on the overworld triggers combat on a separate screen. Attacks, skills, and spells have ranges that require proper maneuvering and positioning to use. Each character has a special move that they can use to “steal” a turn at will once enough Craft Points have been built up through dealing and receiving damage, rewarding forethought as turns will sometimes give bonuses like guaranteed critical hits or health recovery. Where Trails of Cold Steel differentiates itself from Trails in the Sky is with its “linking” system. By linking party members, players can follow up attacks for bonus damage. Using a damage type an enemy is weak against increases the chance of a follow up attack, and after enough follow-up attacks, the player is given the option of using a group action similar to the all-out-attacks from Persona. Each character also has their own unique actions that they’ll use to help their linked partner, such as finishing off an enemy close to death or automatically healing their partner. As the story progresses and the party characters overcome their differences with one another, they gain the ability to form links.

Like its predecessors, Trails of Cold Steel goes deep into developing its characters.

The biggest draw of Trails in the Sky was the amount of detail it put into developing its setting and characters, and in that regard, Cold Steel doesn’t disappoint either. Persons, entities, and even side quests that were nothing more than flavor text for the world in Sky are fleshed out in Cold Steel, rewarding fans who enjoyed the history created for the continent of Zemuria in Trails in the Sky. Conversations between certain Cold Steel characters reference events of previous games without making knowledge of those events crucial to understanding the main story. Each region visited in Cold Steel is given lengthy explanations of its local government, economic strengths, and place in Erebonian society. Party members, too, are given large sections of the game’s main story in order to establish how the life they were born into in Erebonia contributed to their worldview and values, and how they resolve conflicts with other party members arising from their conflicting points of view is an important part of each of their story arcs. Although the main focus of character development in Cold Steel is on the party characters, numerous story important NPCs in the world are given development comparable to main characters from other RPGs. Even “generic” town NPCs are given more attention than your average JRPG, with dialogue that changes after every major story event and mini-storylines to follow throughout the game. Some “generic” NPCs even return from Trails in the Sky.

While Trails of Cold Steel portrays itself as a JRPG abandoning its traditional roots in favor of social mechanics popularized by Persona, in reality it’s a game that strongly retains the elements that drew people to the Trails series to begin with. This 70-hour game is filled with every bit as much world building, character development, and narrative focus that its predecessors were, which is great news for fans worried that Cold Steel’s school aesthetic came at the cost of what drew them to the series to begin with. Fans of the Sky games owe it to themselves to check out Trails of Cold Steel, and an upcoming PC release featuring additional voice acting will be the perfect accommodation for those who do not own a Playstation 3 or Vita.